Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!lll-winken!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!maverick.ksu.ksu.edu!ux1.cso.uiuc.edu!milo.mcs.anl.gov!sirius.mcs.anl.gov!winans From: winans@sirius.mcs.anl.gov (John Winans) Newsgroups: comp.robotics Subject: Re: Request for Feedback on Proposed Lunar Analog Robotics Contest Message-ID: <1991Feb7.185606.21705@mcs.anl.gov> Date: 7 Feb 91 18:56:06 GMT References: <778@sousa.enet.dec.com> <20916@sri-unix.SRI.COM> Sender: news@mcs.anl.gov Organization: Argonne National Laboratory, Chicago, Illinois Lines: 43 Nntp-Posting-Host: sirius.mcs.anl.gov Hmmm... I think my point was not very clear (about the comm-link via wire instead of radio.) First of all it was intended to replace the RF transmission link ONLY. Not to supply power or the ability to remove the need for on-board computing devices. The 3 second delay should be required on both the video and the data lines. And can be implemented the SAME way that it will have to be done for the RF links. The general purpose for this sugestion was to allow student groups studying areas like robotics for manufacturing and such (where RF is might not be used and therfore not learned by the individual) participate in an event like this. As far as radio *simulation* goes, (as I stated earlier) the bit stream(s) can be messed with as needed to generate *bad packets* and require retransmission or what ever. And video the same way. I wasn't thinking of a "toggle switch" where the communications would just be removed for X ammount of time. I suppose it would also be fair to not generate RF errors and limit the bit rate to something that is low enough to represent the average thruput of the RF link. I wasn't thinking when I forgot about the change in the power requirements this would cause (in the favor of the machines w/o radios.) Oops. But at the same time, haven't you?? I would think that a link to another planet would require more power than a link 1000 feet! And besides, it would probably be more dificult to get such a link operating in a place like Chicago than it would be in Oregon (where this contest is to occur.) Ever use cellular out here? There are also a fair ammount of folks Hamming. (I suppose I am nit-picking now, so I'll stop.) And finally I sugested this as a category that COULD be on its own (the origional posting had a selection of categories) and as such it would not compete directly with the others. My comment that this would "even up the competition" was intended for the competition as a whole. As in everyone should be subjected to the same sort of communications errors and delay problems. -- ! John Winans Advanced Computing Research Facility ! ! winans@mcs.anl.gov Argonne National Laboratory, Illinois ! ! ! !"The large print giveth, and the small print taketh away"-- Tom Waits !